La Ceiba Dangerous for Gringos

Unfortunately, central america is becoming a dangerous neighborhood. I
am not sure if Honduras is much less safe than the neighboring
countries, which also have serious crime problems. The current
president of Honduras was elected on an anti-crime platform, given added
credibility since his own son had been killed by criminals. I suggest
that you review the web sites below for more information.

There are several web sites with security information for
travelers and tourists. The ones that I am aware of are
listed below. I urge people to review the information on
these web sites, compare the recommendations of the various
countries to each other, and compare the various government
recommendations to any personal opinions expressed on the
internet.

The government web sites below include security and
other travel information for virtually all the countries in
the world, including each other.

USA - http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html

UK - http://www.fco.gov.uk

Canada -
http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/destinations/menu_e.htm

Australia -
http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/advices_mnu.html

The following web sites offer personal or other views on
security.

Mexico Mike talks about security on Mexico's highways on
www.mexicomike.com

Personal reports for some countries in latin america are
available from the South American Explorer's club -
www.samexplo.org

http://www.beingsafe.info/ claims to list global travel
advisories.

Some travel agents and some employees of large companies may
have access to private security report services. Some
travel web sites will also have some limited security
information, such as www.latinamericatravel.com. Note that
most good guidebooks will also discuss security, and may
offer security advice specific to the town or area.

If you are aware of any other english-language security
information on the web, please let me know.

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

The Canadian information is also available in French, at the
website above.

The French government has their own web site with security
information, in French. http://www.diplomatie.fr/voyageurs

Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - http://www.mae.es/

Germany - http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/d...e_warnung_html

Richard Ferguson


My_Cat_is_Typing_this wrote:

I have recently had input from a fellow who visited La Ceiba a few
years ago. He states that there was alot of "tension" between
gringos and the natives there and alot of crime against gringos
who apparently have no rights there. He cites shootings and the
cutting of a peace corps worker there who had to be medvaced out.
How accurate is this reflection of La Ceiba and Honduras in
general and how does it compare in this aspect with other C.A.
countries? The bbc summary of the Country seems to confirm this
information.

I just got off the phone with a friend who is a long term resident in La
Ceiba to ask him about this. He replied with surprise that this is the
first he's heard such reports, and stated that he detects no tensions
nor hostility between Hondurans and non Hondurans. He also stated that
the level of crime is no higher than what you would expect of any city of
comparable size anywhere in Latin America.

Hope this helps,
Warren Post
Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
http://srcopan.vze.com/

Warren I have bookmarked your web site. You have done a terrific job
with it congrats.

My wife and I visited Honduras together more than 20 years ago (by
bus). We went to Copan Ruinas and the Bay Islands.

The Ruinas were wonderful, very mellow compared to the other major
Mayan ruins we visited at the time.

My recollection of San Pedro Sula were that it felt creepy the only
night we spent there.

Looking forward to returning one day.

I just got off the phone with a friend who is a long term resident in La
Ceiba to ask him about this. He replied with surprise that this is the
first he's heard such reports, and stated that he detects no tensions
nor hostility between Hondurans and non Hondurans. He also stated that
the level of crime is no higher than what you would expect of any city of
comparable size anywhere in Latin America.

Hope this helps,
Warren Post
Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
http://srcopan.vze.com/

Richard Ferguson wrote:

Unfortunately,


Unfortunately you always answer posts with the same
stuff. You list government web sites for travel information.

These are, basically amd uniformly, worthless.

This is because they are influenced, 100%, by politics and/
or political correctness.

They cannot be trusted as to whether a place is safe
or unsafe, healthy or unhealthy. That goes either way:
if they say it is safe, it may not be. If they say it is
dangerous, it may not be.

The only good information can be obtained from private
sources who you personally trust.

Doug McDonald

Doug:

Obviously I do not agree that the country reports are useless.

An individual country may have political pressures to bend the truth, it
is true. However, if multiple countries say the same thing, then I
think it is hard to imagine that various countries in various parts of
the globe all are lying in the same way for political reasons. Sounds a
lot like a global conspiracy theory at that point.

The other way to look at these advisories is to look at the details
rather than the big picture. If the advisory says specifically that a
particular region of country X is unsafe, or that you should avoid doing
A, B, or C, then that is specific advice, something you can act on. A
general statement saying that country X has a high crime rate might be
more influenced by political pressures than the detailed advice, which
presumably is based on crimes reported to the embassy, in the local
newspapers, or from other sources.

The other old rule is that if there is smoke, there is fire.

If you think that countries are subject to bias, then I argue that
individuals are even more subject to bias. What about someone in the
tourism business who has a financial interest in tourism in country X?
What about someone who has an emotional attachment to country X, could
that person look at the faults of country X in an objective manner,
especially if it involved admitting to outsiders that his own country or
his favorite country was no longer a safe place for tourists? What
about someone who has strong political views, which cause him to favor
or disfavor a particular country for political reasons? (IE. Cuba).
What about someone whose views of the country are based primarily on the
nice locals they met on their last couple of trips there? People have
biases, sometimes very strong biases.

It is true, as you said, if you know personally a resident of country X,
and know that person is reasonable, unbiased, inteligent, and informed,
then that individual is a very good source of information. But opinions
expressed by unknown individuals on the internet are far from that that ideal.

There is plenty of bias out there, which is why I urge people to get
input from as many sources as possible, not just individuals on the
internet who may have hidden or obvious biases.

I will make one other comment, which is that Latin America as a region
is a relatively violent area, with serious crime problems. (I have
plenty of sources to back up that claim, if anyone is interested,
starting with the UN.) I would not push these government advisories if
I was talking about Japan or Canada, which are relatively safe.

Richard



Doug McDonald wrote:

Richard Ferguson wrote:

Unfortunately,

Unfortunately you always answer posts with the same
stuff. You list government web sites for travel information.

These are, basically amd uniformly, worthless.

This is because they are influenced, 100%, by politics and/
or political correctness.

They cannot be trusted as to whether a place is safe
or unsafe, healthy or unhealthy. That goes either way:
if they say it is safe, it may not be. If they say it is
dangerous, it may not be.

The only good information can be obtained from private
sources who you personally trust.

Doug McDonald

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 09:32:44 -0600, George wrote:

Warren I have bookmarked your web site. You have done a terrific job
with it congrats.

Glad to hear you found my site of interest; thanks.

My wife and I visited Honduras together more than 20 years ago (by
bus).

Then you have me beat by at least three years. I first came to Honduras
in 1986, and returned to stay in 1990.

The Ruinas were wonderful, very mellow compared to the other major Mayan
ruins we visited at the time.

If you like archaelogical sites that aren't overrun by the tour bus
crowd, you will like El Puente, a recently opened site near La Entrada
and not far from Copán Ruinas. The ruins themselves are not spectacular
but being the only person there gives it a special feeling: it's just
you and the lost city.

Warren Post
Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras
http://srcopan.vze.com/

Warren Post wrote:


If you like archaelogical sites that aren't overrun by the tour bus
crowd, you will like El Puente, a recently opened site near La Entrada
and not far from Copán Ruinas. The ruins themselves are not spectacular
but being the only person there gives it a special feeling: it's just
you and the lost city.



Having been teh only one at Macchu Picchu, I knopw the feeling,
but that is a seriously over-restored site. I would like to be the
only person at Tikal or Palenque!

Doug McDonald

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 13:44:30 -0600, Doug McDonald
wrote:

Sat atop the highest pyramid in Palenque loaded on the local magic
mushrooms and stayed past closing till the sun set.

Wind fanning the trees made the most amazing sounds combined with the
monkeys and the magic of the place and the spirits. Was many moons
ago but something you never forget.

Copan Ruinas has the most amazing stella I have seen.

Warren Post wrote:


If you like archaelogical sites that aren't overrun by the tour bus
crowd, you will like El Puente, a recently opened site near La Entrada
and not far from Copán Ruinas. The ruins themselves are not spectacular
but being the only person there gives it a special feeling: it's just
you and the lost city.



Having been teh only one at Macchu Picchu, I knopw the feeling,
but that is a seriously over-restored site. I would like to be the
only person at Tikal or Palenque!

Doug McDonald

I spent 21 days in Honduras/El Salvador in August.

One must be careful at all times. All large cities are the same any
where any country.

We did not have a problem in La Ceiba, but it seems like the stores in
town are locked
up when it gets dark to prevent theft. Unemployment is high.

Never wear jewelry. Never look like you have any money.

Rent an older vehicle (on the junky side) or old 4 door 2 wheel drive
pickup, blend in
speak spanish, hang around the locals off the beaten path. We did and
had fun. The
problems are in the cities.

Go rafting, canopy ride, Isla Cochinos, Copan is a bust if you have
been to tikal or other sites
in Guatemala, Belize or Mexico. Near copan we went to many areas
labeled as unsafe in our
junk truck with locals we met on the road and had no problems (We are
Native/Fluent in Spanish)

The only problem we had was in San Pedro Sula, my wife had a very
expensive cross inside her blouse and a street thug quickly reached
inside her blouse and ripped it off from around her neck.
The police would do nothing, they said crime in the country was so
high that you would have to
capture/detain/restrain or do something else to the criminal on your
own before they got there.

I did see a number of upper class people in honduras openly wearing
side arms to protect themselves and family. Crime is not directed
towards non residents !

As a side note Honduras was so depressing that we went to El Salvador
and had a good time in the capital (safe), Santa Ana and the southern
playas.

Salto Jorge

Salto Jorge wrote:
Copan is a bust if you have
been to tikal or other sites
in Guatemala, Belize or Mexico.

What???

I found Copan the best of all the Maya sites. It has
the most inscribed stelae, and, best of all, you can actually
go into the archaelogical digs underground and see the walls
of some of the older covered-over temples.

Doug McDonald